Yum, toes.

Babies are quite flexible as you can see. This is one of my very favorite baby things. It is so classic isn't it?

We had an interesting week and weekend. We signed all our papers for both houses Friday. Our sellers had an appointment to sign Saturday at 4:30. We sat with baited breath to see if they would show. They did, and eventually signed after reading every word and hemming and hawing apparently. But, now the deed is done, and we should be moved within two weeks.

I have been driving by our new house and am getting excited. It is a two-story house that is actually pretty from the outside. I like our current house enough, but it is definitely a first house. I absolutely hate moving, but I am trying not to think about that too much.

It is a little disturbing to look at all the numbers when you are buying a house. It is pretty sickening to think what you would actually end up paying in total at the end of 30 years. Pretty amazing. It's about double the price of the house. We'll probably be moving again in a few years, so we won't be getting there for awhile.

Saturday morning was the March of Dimes WalkAmerica. It was a bit disorganized, but it all pulled together okay in the end. I was emceeing the event. I talked about Q who was parked next to me in his stroller. I talked about how I did the same walk a year before at the 33rd week of my pregnancy. Then five days later, I was in the hospital giving birth to a premature baby! Q clapped while I talked about him. It was a warm, sunny morning, and we enjoyed our stroll.

Saturday night, a girl from work was celebrating her birthday. About 10 people from work met for dinner. Q, T, and I met everyone at the restaurant. Q wore his first bow tie for the occasion. Quite dapper, I thought. Then, T took a tired Q home, but I stayed out. I haven't been out for quite awhile. It was so nice, really. I savored my favorite vodka tonic again and chatted with my co-workers. I felt a slight bit old in a few of the bars frequented by college students, but I think I held my own. I passed on the Johnny Walker shots though. You have to ease back into these things.

Sunday, T got us bagels. We ran some errands and looked at furniture. Then we ran pace miles, a workout from my high school track days. You run a mile at a good, strong pace. Then you rest and run another one. The idea is to run your miles at consistent times. T and I switched off. I ran all mine right around 7:30. I think I pushed a bit too hard, because I felt a little sick after doing four, but it was nice to burn off some alcohol calories from the night before.

We are planning a Cinco de Mayo open house for Q's first birthday this weekend. I am having a hard time finding the balance between celebrating a major milestone for my son and throwing this festive celebration that no one really cares about. It's tricky, isn't it? I figured an open house was the simplest compromise.

--MM

Closing time

We are closing on both houses tomorrow. Yay! It hasn't been easy and has been a little unsettling to be in this limbo, but everything is working out as I knew it would.

Somehow, we will be renting from our new owners, and the sellers will pay for it, but no money will change hands. Or something like that. Looks like moving day is May 10, which is much better than this weekend, let me tell you.

I tried to skip taking a nap yesterday and survive on sub-5 hours sleep. I felt a strange energy the entire day and was actually up till 2 a.m. after waking at 6:30 a.m. Today, I crashed and burned. I couldn't drag myself away from my nap this morning, and then had to rush around to make several appointments. Sometimes I think will never catch up or be on time, and I am probably right.

--MM

Hair-raising experience

One of my cats almost got trapped in a tight situation today. I was flying around the house trying to get out the door. Running late as always.

I tried to get a few wrinkles out of my skirt by tossing it in the dryer. I finished putting on my makeup and fixed my hair and closed everything in my room. I was loading my 37 bags into the car, when I heard a frantic howling. I looked in the closet and the cabinets. No cat. I finally located the nervous looking girl cowering in the clothes dryer! Poor thing. That could have been very bad news. She sniffed the dryer suspiciously and then proceeded to try to escape into the garage.

Our house situation is crazy right now. We are scheduled to close next Monday. However, renters are in our new house right now, and they probably won't be able to get out that quick. There's a good chance we might be in limbo. Our realtor advised us to hire a lawyer.

T is getting very nervous about the whole situation. I have a strange sense of calm for some reason. I just can't imagine that everyone involved would be so unreasonable. We have to be able to work this out in some way. Maybe I am naive. I wish we could just sit down and talk to everyone instead of having all these middlemen. I wish I could just snap my fingers and everything would be settled. Such a mess.

--MM

Housing Hurdles

So we think we are moving. Probably. And it all could happen within a week. The good news is our house is sold. That's the hard part. Now, the woman we are buying from is reconsidering. She doesn't want to give us any sort of extension, so are trying to push it all through this week, so she can't change her mind. I guess they are going through a divorce and are disagreeing about what to do with the house. Sigh. It's not the best thing to get caught in the middle of. But, again, the good news is our house is sold. It could be a busy, stressful week, buy it's sort of exciting at the same time. It's time for a change.

We had a pretty nice weekend. We did a sprint workout on the track which we haven't done since high school. My legs are a little sore today, but it felt great.

Q was a delightful little boy this weekend. His tooth is still slowly emerging.

--MM

Day care dilemma

We have a small problem with child care this week. Our daycare provider has a funeral today and tomorrow, so we are in the lurch. T went to work early today, and then we made the Q hand off. T is lucky because whenever we need someone to cover child care, he works a short day. Poor tired mom still has to work her full day. Guess she is just more important. Are you reading this T?

I can't feel the first little bumps of his tooth popping through! It is about time, as he is almost one! I keep poking my finger in his mouth to feel it, and I think he is getting quite annoyed.

He got another raspy cough this week. T took him back to the doctor for about the 7,467th time this year. The doc said he looks fine but might be developing croup again. Poor tiny thing. He said RSV really seems to have done a number on him.

Have you tried Amy's frozen meals? They are healthy and vegetarian, and I love them. They are a bit pricey for frozen but run you the same as a fast food meal. I highly recommend a stash for the days when you can't pack a lunch. I experience that quite often.

Tomorrow I have my mani/pedi appointment. So wonderful, though I wish I didn't have to get up early to go. Lucky T will get to work a half day again to stay with Q.

--MM

Runnin' in the Rain

Our 10-mile run this weekend was ridiculously rainy. We actually broke a record for rainfall on that day. Lucky us.

I had a hard time deciding what to wear, but settled on shorts and a short-sleeve shirt over a long-sleeve shirt.

I ended up feeling very good the entire way and getting my best time of just under 1:24. That averages out to about 8:25 miles...faster that I usually go for long distances.

I had to wait another 18 minutes for slow T. By that time I was FREEZING. It was painful really. I was soaked through and my legs were bare, and I was just utterly miserable.

We high-tailed it back to the car, and T and I battled over whether we could crank the heat or go half heat, half defrost so he could actually see out the window.

We picked Q up from the babysitter's while my teeth chattered, and then I leaped into a hot shower the moment we got home. The warm water felt marvelous, but it made my entire body itch, so I spent several minutes scratching my skin red and raw.

We had to quickly get ready and make our way to a parade in the rain. What fun. Q rode in his stroller under an umbrella. The parade attendance was pretty paltry this year.

The highlight of the soggy day was a little get-together with the group of us from work who ran the race. It was nice to sip margaritas, eat without guilt, and lounge around.

Q was a bit fussy at the party and throughout the rest of the weekend. We think at long last he may be sprouting some teeth! We are watching his shiny pink gums expectantly.

Yesterday, I shopped feverishly. T was not to happy about it, but I focused on the sales and spent most of my money at Kohl's. It could have been worse.

I got a delightful green dress for a friend's beach wedding in July. I had to ask a saleswoman to strip it off a mannequin for me so I could get the correct size. That was actually quite awkward. It is very pretty and flowy, and I can't wait to wear it with my toes buried in the sand!

--MM

Running eve

Tomorrow T and I run in a 10-mile race. I am not super concerned about it, but I have not exactly been diligently running long distances. Let's just say no records are in danger. Q will be with a babysitter. Afterward, we have to walk in a parade and then a few of us who ran the race are getting together to drown the pain of our sour muscles and blisters in margaritas. Yum.

Q and I had an event this morning that involved scratching as many lottery tickets as possible in five minutes. Your arm really starts to ache after about two minutes. I really think my arms are stronger though from lugging around a 20-pound Q-let. It took place at the mall, and I was looking forward to a bit of shopping afterward, but Q started to get pretty restless. Alas, my shopping excursion did not take place. I am considering a little Sunday retail therapy. My clothes are boring me right now.

T and I got salads tonight from this all organic, mostly vegetarian place. Don't you just feel better when you eat good, clean food? Let's hope it helps me run fast!

--MM

Mom Rocks

Check out this super cool shirt. Q is quite a bad ass in this isn't he? No one will be mistaking him for a girl! That happens often, by the way. Better to be a pretty boy than a manly looking girl I guess.

In this picture, you can also clearly see his foot freckle on his left foot. It has been growing slightly ever since he was born. We consider it lucky and kiss it a lot.

I had sort of a bad sleep schedule happening yesterday and today. Curse new TV shows! I stayed up late to watch the Top Design finale (which was pretty anticlimactic) and then the first episode of Shear Design. I consumed copious amounts of cheese as well. Why do I buy it? I know I will just gorge on it! I fell asleep in full makeup half way through Shear Design and woke up at 7 a.m. with my hard contacts suctioned to my eyes and my chest engorged, because I didn't pump before I feel asleep. Sigh. I switch back and forth between highly-disciplined over-achiever and lazy waste of space. I guess I average out to a normal person.


This morning, I was back into my disciplined routine and managed to run a bit and clean up the house. Q takes FOREVER now to eat since he insists upon feeding himself every morsel. It used to be a pretty quick process to feed the little guy, but now he must carefully and awkwardly maneuver every morsel of banana to his mouth. It's messy but amusing to watch. In other feeding developments, he has learned how to wrangle his bottle. He has been holding it for a few weeks, but he finally realized when he is sitting he must tilt his head back to get the payoff. Except for the not talking or crawling, he is a certified baby genius! Way to go Q!

--MM

Pumping countdown

Q will be 1 in less than a month. That means my milk pumping time will come to an end.

I was very dedicated to nursing when he was born. It was a huge challenge since he was premature and didn't take to it immediately. He had to be fed through a tube, and I had to constantly pump. I started to feel a bit like a dairy cow. My goal was to make it to six months.

When I went back to work, I created a little station with a chair and stool in the handicapped bathroom stall. I go in there every day around 4:15 and do my business. My co-workers are used to the swoosh-swoosh sound by now.

When I hit six months, I decided to try for a year. That will mean I don't have to ever buy formula, and I will be in accordance with the guidelines for the American Academy of Pediatrics. I tend to be a very anxious and perfectionist and guilty mom, so you understand my over thinking all of this.

At one point, I had 35 small bottles of frozen breast milk in my freezer. My supply has dwindled to two. I can not wait to put that giant pumping box in storage until the next little one. I will miss the closeness, and his big eyes looking up at me. I will not miss his tendency to pinch now and stretch painfully away from me. I think I will ween him slowly, so I can dump the pump, but continue a few daily nursing sessions.

I do definitely feel a certain sense of pride for sticking through all the pumping, the late nights, and the nursing in the car in parking lots. I hope he appreciates it.

--MM

Mmmmm....cheese

You know what is quite delicious? Well, I will tell you. Cheese curds microwaved for 10 to 15 seconds. They get just soft and gooey enough. It is heaven. We have this amazing cheese factory and shop just the down the street from us, and my sister and I stocked up yesterday. I have already polished off the curds I got. Why must cheese be so good? Why can't celery hold the same appeal? Sigh. I also had cheesecake for breakfast. :)

Baby in a tie

Q had a number of firsts this weekend. He wore his first tie to his first baby contest. We entered him in quickest smile, because of his ever present grin. However, he apparently is not a trained monkey and refuses to smile on command. I had to leave early to teach my yoga class, so I did not see Q's dismal performance, but T says he mostly stuck his tongue out and stared at the judges. Sigh. I guess I do not have a future as a pageant mother. It's probably for the best since I am the mother of a son.

My sister left this afternoon. We had a nice time visiting wineries, hiking, and eating out. Q got his first Easter basket filled with dry fruit, two balls, and a stuffed llama.

My sister is an attorney in Texas, and I swear that woman needs half the sleep of an average person. I am exhausted after a weekend with very few naps. Right now it is almost 10 p.m., and I am sucking on a venti Starbucks to keep myself bright-eyed for the rest of my work day. I found myself nodding off a bit at my desk earlier today.

We had a few more people look at our house. Some people who were supposed to this afternoon did not come in because "they didn't like the location." So glad I cleaned up for them. Good luck finding a better one in your price range in the current housing market. Jerks. At least, as you can see, I am not bitter. You start to get protective of your house. It is like an extension of you. I don't want someone to insult what I am so proud of!

--MM

Sunshine and hummus

It is such a warm, lovely day here. I wish I could spend the entire day out in the sun soaking it in, but alas, I must be at a computer under fluorescent lights.

I started the day with far too little sleep. I went to bed after 2 and got up before 7. Not smart. I downed some coffee before my manicure, and afterward T and I went to the farmer's market. It is still a little slow, because it is early in the season. I did get some bread, hummus, and jelly though. We also had berry turnovers. Our favorite coffee guy wasn't there so we had to settle for some bland stuff with powdered creamer. I had the hummus on my fresh bread for lunch, and it was delightful.

We ran into an acquaintance of mine. She has two little girls now, and I haven't seen her since the first one was a baby. She looked very distinctly pregnant...like maybe 7 months or so, but I wasn't going to call attention to it if she wasn't! You never know. T once mistakenly mentioned a woman's (un)pregnancy. That is the ultimate awkward situation!

I did take a nice long nap today before I came in. Q was wiped out after the farmer's market, so we both laid down for awhile. We give him these dried apples and strawberries. When I changed his diaper, I was surprised to find the apples re-hydrated and fully intact! Crazy. T suggested I recycle them.

I left the house slightly in a mess and just my luck, someone came to look at it today. Ah, well. It's lived in by a family with a baby. What can I say.

When I got in to work, I was very pleasantly surprised to find an anonymous donation to the March of Dimes in my box. It was a $100 bill. Isn't that impressively generous? I am so curious about the mystery donor!

My sister S from Texas is scheduled to land here in 20 minutes. It will be her first time meeting Q and seeing our home. Should be fun!

--MM

Poor baby ears

Poor Q has another double ear infection. Sigh. This is his fourth. He was coughing and wheezing again and touching his ears now and then. T took him to the doctor this morning. I begged him to so I could have a little nap on the couch, and he was nice enough to agree. Q has new breathing medicine and antibiotics. The doctor said if he gets another ear infection soon, it will be time to start talking about putting tubes in his ears. I hope it doesn't come to that.

The March of Dimes WalkAmerica is coming up later this month. T and I are walking and raising money in support of it and in honor of Q. I went to do a story today on the ambassador family. The woman has two premature children. The first was born at 23 weeks and was just over a pound. He is now 2 but can't walk or talk and must eat through a tube. Her second son was born at 33 weeks. Doctors did c-sections in both cases because the babies were not gaining enough weight. The second baby is doing well, but he also spent time in the NICU. Seeing their struggle made me appreciate how far we have come.

--MM

Hanging with a 'roo

We went to a petting zoo this weekend. I think the best thing about having a child is you can do all sorts of ridiculous things and pass them off as being for the benefit of the little one. I was pretty excited about seeing the baby kangaroo and handful of wallabies, but to an onlooker, it looks like I am just a good mother. It's my little secret. It was fun to watch goats, pet llamas, and scratch pot-bellied pigs. Q sat well with the Easter Bunny. He has not really gotten that stranger fear yet.

We got his Easter basket this weekend, complete with a stuffed llama from the petting zoo. It also includes some bumpy plastic balls and freeze-dried fruit.

Our little threesome went to a nice Italian dinner this Saturday night. Q did fairly well. He got a bit fussy at the end, but we mostly kept him entertained with dried fruit and pita bread. He loves drinking out of our water glasses. He gnaws on the rim with his shiny, pink gums, and most of the water dribbles down his front, but he is getting the hang of it. It is nice that we can keep some things from our former life intact like eating out.

Everyone is back to work today, and it is such a relaxing feeling. I am handling my regular workload today and not the work of three people. I feel so much more at ease, rather than trying to write things quickly, running to the bathroom for speed milk pumping sessions, and skipping bathroom breaks.

As I have mentioned before, I teach yoga and aerobics. We have trainings once a month on different formats, and the one we did this weekend was extremely challenging. It involved intervals of weights and cardio. You hit every muscle in your body. Since there is just a handful of us, there is no chance I will be caught slacking, so I was going full on. I paid for it yesterday and today. Every inch of my body was aching. It gave me a sort of nauseated feeling. At the same time, I sort of like being sore because I feel like I actually did something then.

A couple more people came to look at the house this weekend and a couple more today. Hopefully something will happen soon!

--MM